Gardaí in Tralee last night said they were following a definite line of inquiry into reported sexual assaults by a number of men on a woman visitor in the town.
The alleged sexual assaults occurred after 1am on Wednesday after the woman, in her early 20s, left a pub in the town centre and walked with three men to St Patrick's Bungalows in the Boherbee area.
Two of the men dragged the woman behind a house and allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Another alleged sexual assault occurred later at a nearby house.
The woman alerted gardaí and was taken to the sexual assault unit at St Finbarr's Hospital in Cork for a forensic medical examination.
Gardaí last night appealed to the public to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity.
This is the fourth reported sexual assault in Tralee since June.
However, a Garda spokesman said he did not believe the incident was linked to previous attacks.
Gardaí were yesterday making door-to-door inquiries and sealed off a section of St Patrick's Bungalows.
Sgt Noel Burke of Tralee Garda station appealed to anyone who was in the town centre between 1am and 7am, and who may have seen anything suspicious, to come forward or ring gardaí on 066-7122022.
Ms Vera O'Leary, director of the Kerry Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Centre in Tralee, said women in the area were frightened and the centre had received several calls from women since the alleged attacks earlier in the summer.
Ms O'Leary advised women to have someone with them when they go out and that they should not leave social events with people they did not know.
However, Ms O'Leary said that if something happened women should not think it was their fault.
"Society unfortunately puts the responsibility back on women, so that when a woman is attacked she is blamed," Ms O'Leary said.
It was acceptable for men to be on their own; it should also be acceptable for women, she said.
"The terrible reality is women are not safe," Ms O'Leary added.
The sexual examination unit at Kerry General Hospital in Tralee closed over a year ago. It operated on a part-time basis, when a trained doctor was available.
Ms O'Leary said the closure of the unit added to the trauma for victims of rape and other sexual assaults in the county.
All victims now had to travel to Cork for examination, a journey which could take two hours from Tralee and up to three hours from other parts of Kerry.
She said local doctors were willing to be trained in forensic examinations and to go on a rota to operate the unit.
Gardaí and the Kerry Rape Crisis Centre were also available to the unit in Tralee.
Ms O'Leary said it would take €100,000 a year to fund nurses on a part-time basis to oversee the unit, and to pay for on-call services.
"We have lobbied and lobbied," Ms O'Leary said.
The latest incident is the fourth alleged sexual attack in Tralee since June.
On June 9th a man was alleged to have sexually assaulted a young woman at Forge Cross in the Listowel Road area of Tralee.
The attack is alleged to have occurred at 5pm.
On September 8th last at 8.30pm a middle-aged woman who was out walking was dragged into bushes at Ballybeggan where she was allegedly sexually assaulted.
In the early hours of September 30th a young male is reported to have been sexually assaulted at Ballinorig. A number of males may have been involved in this incident.